Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #283

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection begins with Mighty Mouse in The Sky is Falling (1947). Directed by Mannie Davis, this cartoon is a take-off on the classic story of Chicken Little. 

Up next comes the Walter Lantz produced cartoon, Mouse Trapped (1959). This short film stars the two mice Hickory and Dickory as well as the cat Doc. Originally planned as a trio, Doc would have a longer career than his rodent co-stars. The trio would appear in only three theatrical cartoons (of which this is the second). However, Doc would go on to star in six cartoons without Hickory and Dickory. Three of those six cartoons would team him with a dog named Champ. 

Now we join our good friend Scrappy in Scrappy's Television (1934). It is fascinating to see this depiction of television, well before TV would becoming the household staple it would later become. 

Next comes Donald Duck in Donald's Gold Mine (1942). This short film made its theatrical debut on  July 24, 1942. It would make its TV debut on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club that aired on October 15, 1956. 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next we join Sylvester and Tweety in The Jet Cage (1962). Though this film gives Milt Franklin credit for the music, much of the music was done by William Lava. This is because Milt Franklin died of a heart attack before finishing the musical score and had to be replaced by William Lava. About the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons, director Friz Freleng stated, "Tweety doesn't do anything. He can't even put a hat on because his arms are too short. And he's got such a bug head. The comedy comes out of Sylvester and his determination, his stubbornness to get the bird no matter what happens to him. Still everybody says 'Oh I love that Tweety.' Audiences are funny. They never love the characters that really get the laughs."

Now for The New 3 Stooges cartoon, Three Jacks and a Beanstalk (1965). The Stooges voice themselves in this TV cartoon. 

Now for one of the rare instances of very dark satire in one of Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies, Who Killed Cock Robbin? (1935). This film shows cartoon birds at the mercy of an unjust legal system. Satire, dark humor, celebrity caricatures and slapstick abound. The most significant of the celebrity caricatures is Jenny Wren, a caricature of Mae West. Most of her animation here is handled fantastically by Ham Luske and her voice comes from Martha Wentworth who does a really good impression. This character would later appear in the Silly Symphony Toby Tortoise Returns (1936). Two of Walt's future Nine Old Men animate on this film, Eric Larson and Clyde Geronimi. Eric animates the scene where Cock Robbin falls and the cops rushing in. Clyde animates the scenes involving the blackbirds and the cops, Legs Sparrow with the cops and then going into the witness box, and the cops' raiding the area. For the year of 1935 the National Board of Review named this as one of the Ten Best American Films (not just cartoons but films as a whole). According to JB Kaufman and Russell Merrit's excellent book, Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series, the idea for making this film had been around the Disney studio as early as October 1933 but work truly began in March 1934. Wilfred Jackson was originally going to be the cartoon's director, but he was replaced with Ben Sharpsteen, who was replaced with Dave Hand, who actually directed the cartoon. Dave Hand would later be the supervising director for the Disney feature films, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942). My fellow Alfred Hitchcock fans will recognize that a clip from this cartoon was later used in Hitch's classic movie, Sabotage (1936). The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Ye olde master, Walt Disney, has produced another cartoon which makes a swell approach to the entertainment values he provided in 'Three Little Pigs.' It's class A stuff, effectively done in color. A mysterious shadowy figure 'kills' the fabled Cock Robbin, who, by the by, is the sweetie of a May Western type of bird. Then come the Keystonian cops, also birds, and later the trial. Finally, a birdy version of Dan Cupid admits to having shot Robin, but May brings him to with a Big Kiss. Catchy music helps enliven the proceedings." The following is from a 1935 issue of Modern Screen Magazine and was a letter sent in by a reader. "A short time ago I took my five-year-old son with me to a local theatre. When a colored cartoon was shown, he was immensely pleased, as were several other children near us. The cartoon was 'Who Killed Cock Robin?' I may be wrong but I'm under the impression that those pictures are primarily to amuse children. If that is true than it failed. I heard several half-grown boys snickering as 'Jenny Wren' a parody of Mae West, with a high bust, wiggling hips and a sexy voice, flirted with the judge and later indulged in a kiss with Cock Robin. The smaller children merely looked puzzled and disappointed with the whole thing. Please have more cartoons like 'The Three Little Pigs,' 'Water Babies,' etc., unless of course, I'm wrong and those comedies are for grown-ups and not for little children. - Mrs. E. DeLamater, Charleston, S.C."   

Now to close with a song.

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

Resources Used

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety by Jerry Beck

Donald Duck: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

Silent Film of the Month: What Women Did for Me (1927)

 

Run Time: 20 minutes. Studio: Hal Roach Studios. Director: James Parrott. Titles: Reed Heustis.  Producer: Hal Roach. Main Cast: Charley Chase, Lupe Velez, Eric Mayne, May Wallace, Gale Henry. Cinematographer: Len Powers. Editor: Richard C. Currier.

Though never achieving the same popularity as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd or Laurel and Hardy, Charley Chase is a fan favorite among many classic comedy lovers. Though his talkies are often delightful comedic treats, I often times find Charley's silent films to be his best work (I am also a fan of the Three Stooges shorts he would direct later). Some of his silent films are true comedy classics that deserve the same masterpiece status as the work of the best silent comedians. I have written about some of my favorite of his silent shorts on this blog before and this month I would like to call attention to another. What Women Did for Me is a classic that deserves to be better known. 

In this short film, a botany professor, who is terrified of women finds himself teaching at an all-girls college. This proves to be too much for him to handle and when he decides to take a little getaway, his female students follow him. 

This is a true comedy classic and one of my favorite Charley Chase shorts. The film moves at a fast pace and offers gag after gag. There is not a single gag that falls flat here and the comedic energy makes it a joy to watch. What also helps is that the gags build upon each other. There is a real structure to each gag that makes each one funnier than the last. This type of structure is one of the hardest things for filmmakers to do when making a comedy. However here it feels so natural and easy. Charley is great in the main role, perfectly getting over the sense of being terrified of women without making the reactions too over the top to be believable. His female co-stars however often steal the show, getting just as many laughs, if not more, than Charley himself. In most comedies these young women would just be pretty faces, while the comedy is left to the male star. Yet each of these young women were very talented comedians in their own right. However, what makes this film a must watch is the ending. True to the format of making each gag funnier than the last, this ending is laugh out loud funny and truly brilliant in how it subverts our expatiations. 

One reason this film will stand out to current movie buffs is that it features one of the earliest film appearances by Lupe Velez. Sadly, for many Velez's life and career have been overshadowed by her tragic death. She was found dead on the toilet after having an overdose with a suicide note nearby. Many believe that she killed herself because she was about to have a child out of wedlock. However, her movie career is well worth remembering. She appeared in such classic films as The Gaucho (1927), Where East Is East (1929), The Squaw Man (1931), Palooka (1934) and Stardust (1937). In the 1940's she starred in the very popular B-movie series of Mexican Spitfire films. These films work almost solely because of her larger-than-life personality and charisma. Comedy lovers may also know her for playing against Laurel and Hardy in a delightful scene in the movie Hollywood Party (1934).

Gale Henry, though forgotten today had quite a comedy career herself. She was the first woman to headline a series of short comedies. She spent much of the 1910's starring in comedies by independent producer Pat Powers and Universal's Joker comedies. In early 1915 she co-starred (with Max Asher) in a series of 11 one-reelers for Pat Powers entitled Lady Baffles and Detective Duck. By the mid-1920's she was mostly working in supporting roles for comedies starring other comedians. These films include the Charley Chase short, Mighty Like a Moose (1926) and the Laurel and Hardy comedy, Love 'em and Weep (1927).

Director James Parrott was the brother of Charley Chase. As well as his directing career he had starred in 75 silent short comedies (as well as supporting Harold Lloyd in some films) for Hal Roach Studios (for which this film was made). In some of these films he was credited as Paul Parrott and some of these shorts have been mistakenly identified as early credits for Charley Chase. However, he had success behind the camera. He began directing in 1924 and would direct 89 films from 1924 to 1935. He is probably best known today for the Laurel and Hardy shorts he directed. Those include some of the duo's best films including Two Tars (1928), Habeas Corpus (1928), Blotto (1930), Pardon Us (1931), Helpmates (1932) and the comedy team's most famous film, The Music Box (1932) (you know the one where they push the piano up the flight of stairs). Outside of Hal Roach Studios, he also worked as an uncredited writer on a true comedy classic, Duck Soup (1933) with the Marx Brothers. Born on August 2, 1897, in Baltimore, Maryland, James passed away at the age of 42 on May 10, 1939. His death was reported as a heart attack. 

Motion Picture News, 1927

 

Two more Hal Roach regulars who worked on this film were cinematographer Len Powers and editor Richard C. Currier.

 Len Powers was born on December 12, 1892, in Rodney Iowa. Before his time in the movies, Powers had been a professional boxer. He began his film career in 1914 at the Reliance studios. Two pre-Roach credits for Powers included Blue Blood and Red (1916) directed by Raoul Walsh and Headin' South (1918) starring Douglas Fairbanks and directed by Allan Dawn. The first film he worked on for the Hal Roach Studio was the Our Gang (AKA Little Rascals) short, Young Sherlocks (1922). As well as working as a cameraman, Powers also directed or co-directed 14 of Roach's Dippy Doo-Dad shorts. These live action shorts featured animals in human type roles. Because of this, he was assigned to film the rooster that crows in the Pathe logo. After his time with Roach, he would work at Universal in the early 1940's. By the end of the 1940's he would be a camera operator on Johnny Mack Brown B-westerns. His last known credit is for shooting stills for the Best Picture winner, Around the World in Eighty Days (1956). He passed away on January 25, 1965, from a heart attack.  

Richard Currier was born on August 26, 1892, in Denver, Colorado. He began editing films in 1911 for the Selig Company. He started working for Hal Roach around 1921 under Thomas J. Crizer, head of the studio's editorial department. Crizer left in 1925 and Currier was promoted to the new head of the editorial department. Currier received sole editorial credit for on every Hal Roach film from then until mid-1933. However, he was the first to acknowledge that his role was more as a supervisor than anything else. Later in the 1930's he would work at Paramount on films featuring W.C. Feilds as well as Burns and Allen. He would go on to work on such TV shows as The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok and The Whistler. He would run his own Hollywood editorial service until his retirement. He died on December 14, 1984 at the ripe old age of 92. 

Motion Picture News, 1925

You can watch this film below on YouTube in quite poor picture quality. To see it in better quality get the Blu-ray set Charley Chase at Hal Roach: The Late Silents: 1927. You won't regret it. 

Resources Used

Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies by Randy Skredvedt

A-Z of Silent Film Comedy by Glen Mitchell

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #280

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again, it is time for some classic cartoons.

Today's cartoon selection begins with Porky's Pooch (1941). Though all the classic Charlie Dog cartoons would be directed by Chuck Jones, this Bob Clampett short clearly sets up the template that all of those later cartoons would follow. In fact the first Charlie Dog cartoon, Little Orphan Airedale (1947), would be a remake of this film. The backgrounds in this film are live action photographs. A year later Bob would use a live action opening for Eatin' on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner (1942). The following is an exhibitor's review from Motion Picture Herald, "PORKY'S POOCH: Looney Tunes Cartoons—Right up my alley for my patronage. Running time, 7 minutes. —Vic Stephano, Grove Theatre, Groveton, Tex. Small Town Patronage." A review in The Motion Picture Daily called the film, "Good for a few laughs." The Showman's Trade Review gave advice to movie theater owners on how to advertise this cartoon, "Play it up to all Porky fans and make some new fans to win over some of the dog lovers in your community by staging a pet show, prize contest for best snapshot of a pet or prize contest for a brief essay on 'why my dog is the best in town.'" 

Next comes the silent Out of the Inkwell short, Koko's Tattoo (1928). This has all the surreal charm and creativity that I love about these shorts. 

Next comes the Terry Toons short, Sour Grapes (1950). This cartoon was directed by Mannie Davis and marks the last of five theatrical shorts to star Dingbat. Dingbat is a yellow bird who was often adversarial to Slyvester the Fox. 

Next comes Donald Duck in Contrary Condor (1944). This short film was directed by Jack King, who directed most of the Donald Duck cartoons at this time. For a while in the community of cartoon and Disney lovers, the Jack King Donald Duck cartoons were rarely given the accolades they deserve because more attention was paid to the later Donald shorts that Jack Hannah directed. However luckily today many Disney fans are reevaluating this and realizes what wonderful films, the Jack King Donald cartoons are. Contrary Condor is just one of the many examples of how great of a cartoon director Jack King was. However, this film also works because of a wonderful team of animators. John McManus animates the opening moments as well as Donald tossing the dummy and the mom diving after it. Judge Whitaker animates Donald yodeling while climbing the mountain, Donald's first meeting with the mother, Duck applauding the small bird's flight, the small bird gliding and landing, Donald's landing and Donald contemplating a new plan. Nick Nichols animates Donald discovering the nest and hiding in the egg, the hatching sequence, the small bird being jealous, the little bird snaping Donald off the limb, Donald's "flight," the mother applauding, the mother missing the dummy as it falls into the water and the closing sequence. Paul Allen animates the mother pushing the small bird off the limb, the mother encouraging Donald to fly and Donald trying to escape with the egg until the small bird intercepts it. George Nicholas animates the small bird falling and trying to fly. Don Townsley animates the small bird lowering its legs like landing gear and the mother's card trick. Hal King animates the mother attempting to push Donald off the limb and Donald faking a bad wing, Marvin Woodward animates the mother trying to trick Donald with the berry. The working titles for this film were Contrary Condors, Egg Collector and The Colombian Condor. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Donald Duck provides plenty of laughs in his attempt to swipe an egg from a condor's nest. When Donald emerges from his hiding place in an empty egg shell which a mother condor mistakes for an unhatched egg she accepts our fine feathered hero as one of her own. Her attempts to get Donald to fly are extremely humorous. The Technicolor cartoon is aces." 

Now for a commercial break. 

Now for the Mickey Mouse Works cartoon, Purple Pluto (1999). This cartoon would later be used in the House of Mouse episode, Ladies Night (2002). 

Next is the New Three Stooges cartoon, The Littlest Martian (1965). This series of TV cartoons features the voices of the real Stooges who also appear in the opening and closing live action segments. The live action segments would often be repeated even when the cartoon was new. Curly Joe DeRita felt that this hurt the show. He thought that people would see a live action segment they had seen before and assume the show was a rerun and change the channel not knowing the cartoon was new. 

Then comes Mighty Mouse in Winning the West (1946). 

Let us close with a song.

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

Resources Used

South of the Border with Disney by J.B. Kaufman.

Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #275

 Hello, my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again, it is time for some classic cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection begins with a classic Popeye short, Customers Wanted (1939). This film is a bit of a cheater using clips from previous cartoons. These clips are from Let's Get Movin' (1936) and The Twisker Pitcher (1937). This would cartoon be remade as another Popeye cartoon, Penny Antics (1955). Though this is a cheater cartoon, it is easily one of the better cheaters, because the new footage is just as good (if not better) than the clips. 

Next comes the Aesop's Fables cartoon, Feathered Follies (1932).

From 1976 to 1982 Warner Brothers made a series of 16 TV specials featuring the Looney Tunes characters. Some of these specials were brand new half hour stories, others featured clips for or whole classic cartoon shorts and still others featured a set of brand-new cartoons. Daffy Duck's Easter Special (1980) featured three brand new cartoons with bridging sequences inspired by Duck Amuck (1953). Here is one of the new cartoons from that special, The Chocolate Chase (1980). This short is very much in the mold of the mid to late 1960's cartoons which pitted Daffy Duck against Speedy Gonzales. 

Now for The New Three Stooges short, Mummies Boys (1965). The real Stooges not only star in the live action opening and closing scenes but the voice themselves in the cartoons. This is of course what makes these made for TV cartoons essential for all Stooge lovers. 

Now it is time for a commercial break.

Since Easter is tomorrow, what would be better to watch than a classic Easter cartoon. Up next is a classic Silly Symphony called Funny Little Bunnies (1934). This cartoon does not feature much of an actual story beyond the idea of bunnies getting ready for Easter. However, people at the time did not seem to mind this at all. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "This is a likely entry for the best short of 1934. While it may appear that its vogue would be more or less limited to the Easter season because it's purely imaginative substance deals with the manufacture and decoration of Easter eggs and bunnies by a colorful rabbit crew, the splendor and variety of coloring and the highly diverting action lift it far above any seasonal appeal. Musical accompaniment is pleasing." The following is a review from The Motion Picture Herald, "Unusually clever, highly entertaining, especially for the youngsters but potentially equally enjoyable for adults, this number of the Walt Disney Silly Symphonies pictures in the inimitable Disney cartoon fashion the manner in which the bunnies, in their woodland workshop, carve out Easter statues of themselves, paint the Easter eggs, with various colors obtained from the end of the rainbow. In this spring season despite the fact that Easter has passed, the subject is highly appropriate and cannot fail to meet with the favor of the entire audience, anytime, anywhere." The cartoon also won the gold medal for "Best Animated Film" at the Venice film festival in 1934. Still as is always the case not everyone was impressed. An exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald was not very positive stating about Walt Disney, "He'll never make another 'Three Little Pigs.' In 1935 this movie was part of a four-week run of Disney cartoons. Here is The Film Daily talking about that, "Starting April 4, Walt Disney productions, released through United Artists, are being featured on the Trans-Lux Theater program for four consecutive weeks. Opening with 'The Tortoise and the Hare,' the next three programs feature the following Disney productions: 'Mickey's Man Friday,' 'Funny Little Bunnies,' and 'The Band Concert,' Disney's first Mickey Mouse subject in Technicolor." Like all of the Disney cartoons of this era, this film has an all-star cast of animators. Cy Young animates the opening scenes as well as the bunnies harvesting the colors from the rainbow. Ben Sharpsteen leads a crew of Jr. animators including Archie Robin, Joe D'Igalo, Ed Smith and Woolie Reitherman. Woolie Reitherman would later become one of Walt's fame Nine Old Men and would direct the Disney features The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Jungle Book (1967), The Airstocats (1970) and more. This is the first known Silly Symphony Woolie worked on. Ben Sharpsteen's group of Jr animators would animate bunnies in the supply room, the eggs rolling down the shoot and the bunnies filling the baskets. Ugo D'Orsi animated the bunnies at the pot of chocolate. Louie Schimdt animates the bunnies filling the molds. Leonard Sebring animates the solider bunnies. Future Donald Duck, Barney Bear and Woody Woodpecker director, Dick Lundy animates the sculptor bunnies. Dick Huemer animates the hens, the painters, the grandpa rabbit and the cross-eyed bunnies. Art Babbit animates the blind bunnies and the first long shot of the bunnies filling the baskets. Ham Luske animates the film's finale. One thing I love about the color Symphonies is that they never take color for granted but instead always make sure it is used to full effect. That is definitely true of this cartoon. This movie was reissued to theaters on April 21, 1950. It made its TV debut on an episode of Mickey Mouse Club that aired on April 19, 1957. 

Next is the silent Out of the Inkwell film, Balloons (1923). This film is full of all the creative, imaginative charm that makes this series so special. The film's producer Max Fleischer appears in live action in this and many other Out of the Inkwell shorts.

Now for the Terry Toons cartoon, The Billy Goat's Whiskers (1937). 

Tonight's cartoon selection ends with a full episode of The Super Mario Brothers Super Show. 

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

Resources Used

Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman.

Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin

Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #274

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection begins with Sylvester and Tweety in Tweet and Lovely (1959). This is one of my favorite Sylvester and Tweety films. Voice actor Mel Blanc would later write, "Sylvester has always been a favorite of mine. He's always been the easiest character for me to play. When I was showing the first model sheet for Sylvester with his floppy jaws and generally disheveled appearance, I said to Friz Freleng, 'A big sloppy cat should have a big shthloppy voice. He should spray even more than Daffy.' While recording Sylvester cartoons my scripts would get so covered in sylvia I'd repeatedly have to wipe them clean. I used to suggest to actress June Foray, who voiced Tweety's vigilant owner Granny that she wear a raincoat to the sessions." 

Next up comes the Terry Toons short, The Hopeful Donkey (1943). Like When Mules Leave Home (1934) last week, this is also a Terry Toons adaption of the Brothers Grimm story Town Musicians of Bremen. However, this short borrows nothing more from the previous cartoon than the same source material. Both cartoons are charming takes on the classic children's story.  

Now for the Fleischer Screen Songs cartoon, I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles (1930). The title song was written in 1918 by composer John Kellette and lyricists James Kendis, James Brockman and Nat Vincent (under the pseudonym Jaan Kenbrovin) The song premiered in the Broadway musical The Passing Show of 1918 (Jul 25, 1918–Nov 9, 1918) where it was sung by Helen Carrington. In 1919 the song would become a number one hit for Ben Selvin's Novelty Orchestra. 

Now for the Terry Toons cartoon, Beanstalk Jack (1946). 

Now for a commercial break.

Next is the new Three Stooges cartoon, Kangaroo Catchers (1965). The Three Stooges not only appear in live action before and after the cartoon, but they also voice themselves in the animated cartoon.

Some of Disney's best and funniest cartoon shorts are those that teamed Mickey, Donald and Goofy as a comedy trio. Next up I have the second of these cartoons and the first one in color, Mickey's Fire Brigade (1935). This movie opens with the title card burning away in flames, a creative touch by effects animator Cy Young. In this short Mickey is the fire chief, a role he had played earlier in The Fire Fighters (1930). Two of the animators on this film are Bill Tytla (possibly my favorite Disney animator) and Grim Natwick, both of whom had joined the studio in 1934. They animate the majority of the scenes with Clarabella Cow. The scene where Goofy tries to take a coffee break is animated by Wolfgang “Woolie” Reitherman, who would later become a specialist at animating the character. Jack Kinney, who would go on to direct some of the funniest cartoons to ever come out of the Disney studio, animated Donald's struggles with flypaper and pails of water. It is common for cartoon fans to think of the old Disney shorts as being slow moving and sentimental, however that is not the case here at all. This is a fast moving and very funny film that puts a smile on my face every time. The following is from an issue of The Film Daily (dated Sept. 5, 1935), " 'Mickey's Fire Brigade,' is to have its premiere in the New York theatrical sector this evening when it opens at the Rivoli Theater with the new Samuel Goldwyn production, 'The Dark Angel.'" A review in National Board of Review Magazine stated, "Noisier and less clever than most of this series but still better than most of its kind." A review in The Film Daily states, "This is one of the liveliest and funniest of the Walt Disney cartoon creations." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "MICKEY'S FIRE BRIGADE: Mickey Mouse—One of the best of the Mickey Mouse series. Running time, eight minutes.—M. H. Harrington, Avalon Theatre, Clatskanie, Ore. Small Town and Rural Patronage." This theatrical cartoon made its TV debut on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club that aired on October 31, 1956.

Up next is the Mickey Mouseworks cartoon, Pluto Vs. The Watchdog (1999). This cartoon would later play in the House of Mouse episode, Donald and the Aracuan Bird (2002).

Now let us close with a song. 

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

Resources Used

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety by Jerry Beck.

Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by David Gerstein and J.B. Kaufman

Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Mickey's_Fire_Brigade

https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/the-passing-show-of-1918-6965

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/mickeys-fire-brigade-1935/

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #273

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection begins with Sylvester in A Kiddie's Kitty (1955). It is worth noting that after Tweety and Sylvester first teamed up in Tweetie Pie (1947), Tweety would not again appear apart from Sylvester (apart from small cameos), yet Sylvester would make many cartoons without Tweety. This is one of Sylvester's solo cartoons where he is not trying to catch the little yellow bird. Also, unlike most classic cartoon characters Sylvester was a fully formed character from his first appearance on movie screens and has not really changed since. Looney Tunes director and animator, Robert McKimson later said of Sylvester, "He had a juicy voice, you know. He's the closest, I would say, that Mel [voice artist Mel Blanc] would come to have an original voice and then fitting the character to it. Of course, Daffy Duck's voice is the same as Sylvester's only sped. So, I guess when Mel recorded Daffy it sounded like Sylvester." Looney Tunes director Friz Freleng [who directed this movie] talked about how he and layout artist Hawley Pratt designed this character, "I designed Sylvester to look subtly like a clown. I gave him a big red nose and a very low crotch, which was supposed to look like he was wearing baggy pants." Despite the little girl, Suzanne only appearing in this one cartoon, she would go on to appear as a back-up feature in many Looney Tunes themed comic books from Dell Comics. (Thanks to Top Cat James for bringing this to my attention in the comments for a previous post). 

Next is Mighty Mouse in The Silver Streak (1945). 

Now for the early color Merrie Melodies cartoon, The Cat Came Back (1936). While it may be far from what would later become the Warner Brothers cartoon style, this Friz Freleng directed short is very charming and fun. The film would be reissued to theaters twice. The first time was July 15, 1944, and the second time was June 5, 1954.

Up next comes the Terry Toons short, Why Mules Leave Home (1934). This cartoon is based off the Brothers Grimm story Town Musicians of Bremen. This was not the only cartoon based off that story. Walt Disney directed a silent version, The Four Musicians of Bremen (1922), Ub Iwerks directed the Comi-Color cartoon The Bremen Town Musicians (1935) and there would be a Soviet animated short film entitled The Bremen Town Musicians (1969).

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next is the last black and white Silly Symphony, Bugs in Love (1932). This is a rather typical Silly Symphony of its time, following the well-established formula of animated characters having a grand time to music until the villain of the piece appears and tries to wreck their fun. As you can guess by the title this film's story involves various bugs. Bugs were a common site in the early Silly Symphonies and the newspaper comic strip. In fact, the newspaper comic strip featured a complete remake of this cartoon. Animation of this film was done from March 30 - May 3, 1932. The Silly Symphonies were a series that at this time was constantly improving and audiences and exhibitors quickly took note of this improvement. For evidence here is an exhibitor's review from 1934 (two years after the film's original release), "BUGS IN LOVE: Silly Symphonies—An old Silly Symphony. Not as good as the new ones. Running time, one reel. —A. B. Jefferis, New Piedmont Theatre, Piedmont, Mo. Small Town Patronage." Of course, the Silly Symphonies were quite appropriately one of the most popular cartoon series of the time. The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "BUGS IN LOVE: Another great Silly Symphony. Give it extra billing. —Charles Niles, Niles Theatre, Anamosa, Iowa." Not everybody was so impressed with the series though as shown through the following exhibitors review from The Motion Picture Herald, "BUGS IN LOVE: Silly Symphony—This is just an- other Walt Disney cartoon comedy. Nothing good about it; just ordinary and is only fair entertainment. We have only played one good comedy of this series and every time we hope the next one will be better. Disappointed in these. Running time, nine minutes. - J. J. Medford, Orpheum Theatre, Oxford, N.C., General Patronage." The film had its New York opening from December 11-16, 1932, at the Roxy playing alongside the feature length movie Me and My Gal (1932). This cartoon made its TV debut on an episode of the Mickey Mouse Club that aired on January 26, 1956. 

Now for The New Three Stooges cartoon, Call of the Wile (1965). In this cartoon, a mountain lion pretends to be a stuffed head hanging on the Stooges' wall. The same thing happened in Elmer Fudd's house in the Warner Brothers cartoon, What's My Lion (1961). 

After Saludos Amigos (1942) and The Three Caballeros (1944), the Disney studio planned to make a third South American themed feature film with Donald Duck. Known at the studio as the Carnival feature. That film really began production during the spring and summer of 1945. Like the previous movies, this would have been an anthology film that would have been separated into four different segments, that would essentially resemble Disney's cartoon shorts. When World War 2 came to an end, there would be no longer be a reason for such a film and the project was quietly abandoned. However, one portion of this film would reach the screen. This was Blame it on the Samba, which would become part of Melody Time (1948). As previously mentioned, this short would feature a live action, Ethel Smith. During the 1940's the U.S. government pushed its Good Neighbor policy by having many entertainers on both sides of the border serve as Goodwill Ambassadors and one of these was U.S. born Ethel Smith. Born in Pittsburgh (on November 22, 1902), at a young age Smith discovered Latin music and became a huge fan. In the mid-1930's she discovered the electric organ, a relatively new instrument and used it to play the Latin music she loved. By the late 1930's she was performing in Latin America. With this in mind, she became a perfect good will ambassador. In 1940 she gained an engagement at the Cassino Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro. She was so popular that she would be repeatedly held over, and she was there when the Disney studio visited Rio de Janeiro in August 1941 for the making of Saludos Amigos. While there is no definitive proof that anyone working at Disney came into contact with Ethel Smith, the Disney artists did often have meetings at the Copacabana and in December 1941 Smith sent a custom designed Christmas card to Walt and his wife Lillian. In the summer of 1944, she was in Hollywood working for MGM and performed Tico-Tico (which was a very popular song for her) for the Ester Williams movie, Bathing Beauty (1944). In late 1944, Disney artist Norm Ferguson was trying to bring together musicians for the Carnival feature, and he felt that with Ethel Smith now in Hollywood, she would be a perfect choice. The studio contacted her in early 1945. Mary Blair began working on various costume sketches for her with different costumes representing different countries. This was because it was considered to have appear in each segment and have her music connect the various segments. In February 1945 a Hammond organ was installed on the sound-effects recording stage. She recorded the Mexican song, La Parranda and the Cuban number Cachita paran pan pin. Norm Ferguson had hoped to use the Brazilian song Cavaquinho, yet the copyright status seemed a mystery. Ethel recorded various other songs as possible substitutes for Cavaquinho, but the studio was able to get the rights in May 1945. Disney lyricist Ray Gilbert would be assigned to write new English lyrics for this tune, and the result was Blame it on the Samba. Though this segment would eventually be put on a shelf when the Carnival feature was shelved as a whole, it would later see the light of day again. Ethel Smith was becoming an even bigger star due to supporting performances in live action movies and the option of Disney studio to use her services lasted up until spring 1947. In late 1946 production on the Blame it on the Samba sequence was revived. There was a proposed version of the sequence that at least made it to the storyboard stage, that would have featured both Ethel Smith and Carmen Miranda. In that version, Donald Duck and Joe Carioca went to a theater where both artists were performing. The two crash backstage where Smith is performing and end up in Miranda's dressing room. Later both artists go on stage to perform Blame it on the Samba. Donald and Joe Carioca are still backstage, where Donald is still lovestruck by a kiss from Carmen Miranda. Joe tells Donald romantic tales of Rio and Donald's mind transports the duck to a surreal fantasy world. This lovely dream would morph into a nightmare involving matchboxes and a performance of the Bonfire Ballet. This in turn would turn into a celebration of Brazil's Festa de sao Joao Brazil festival. It is not known if this plan was from before the project was originally shelved or after. There were also plans to have all three Caballeros appear in this segment but eventually Panchito was dropped due to the sequence having nothing to do with Mexico. This is when the Aracuan Bird would be added to the action.

Now let us close with a song. 

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

Resources Used

South of the Border with Disney by J.B. Kaufman.

Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin

Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman.

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety by Jerry Beck

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

https://looneytunes.fandom.com/wiki/The_Cat_Came_Back

https://looneytunes.fandom.com/wiki/Suzanne

 

  

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #271

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection begins with a black and white Looney Tunes short that I have always had a real fondness for, Porky's Bear Facts (1941). This cartoon was directed by Friz Freleng and while it is not as completely crazy as the black and white Looney Tunes directed by Tex Avery, Bob Clampett or Frank Tashlin it does certainly have moments that show what was quickly becoming the studio's signature sense of humor. Characters break the fourth wall and silly visual gags certainly find their way in at times. Yet at the same time the film feels more grounded, and story driven than some of the studio's other efforts at this time. The story itself is somewhat of a takeoff on The Grasshopper and the Ants (which Disney had made a Silly Symphony based around in 1934). In typical Warner style the ending here goes completely against the moral of the story. Like many Porky cartoons of this era, Porky's role is very minimized. The truth was most of the directors were getting tired of working with the pig and this made him become a supporting character in his own cartoons for a while. A reviewer in The Film Daily was not that impressed with this cartoon stating, "Rate it just as fair." A reviewer in the Motion Picture Daily found the true main character of the film quite likable stating, "An engaging character that shiftless bear." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "PORKY'S BEAR FACTS: Looney Tunes — Fine. Vitaphone is our best bet for good cartoon fare. Running time, nine minutes. —Fred C. Allen, Princess Theatre, Piedmont, Ala. Small town patronage."

Next comes the Terry Toons cartoon, Saw Mill Mystery (1937). 

Next comes the New 3 Stooges cartoon, The Bigger They Are the Harder They Hit (1965). Unfortunately, this series of TV cartoon did little for the Stooges finically. Cambria Studio's distributor was supposed to forward quarterly statements to the Stooges' production company Normandy Productions (owned by Moe's son-in-law and the team's manager Norman Maurer). They did not receive these statements and The Stooges sued but the judge ruled in favor of Cambria. The decision was appealed in 1975 but by that time Moe and Larry had passed away.

Today's cartoon selection begins with a classic Mickey Mouse film, Mickey's Rival (1936). The titular character is a mouse named Mortimer. Those of you who know your Disney history will know that Mortimer was a name that was considered for Mickey. This was Mortimer's first appearance though he bared more than a little resemblance to Mr. Slicker a character that appeared in the Micky Mouse comic strip. Though Mickey's Rival was his only appearance in a theatrically released short film, it was not his only appearance in animation. He became a reoccurring character in the television shows, Mickey Mouse Works (1999-2000) and House of Mouse (2001-2003). He also has a role in the direct to video movie, Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999) and has appeared briefly in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006-2016) and Mickey and the Roadster Races (2017-present). Outside of animation he has been used very often in the Disney comic strips and began to appear in them around the same time he made his debut in movie theaters. Mortimer's design is said to be based off of Walt Disney and those who have seen pictures of a young Walt, will find this easy to believe. The ending to Mickey's Rival has Mickey and Minnie simply shaking hands. However, it was originally planned for Mickey to have a buzzer on his hand to play a Mortimer type prank on Minnie. Though this would have been out of character for Mickey at this time it would have fit perfectly in with the Mickey Mouse of the late 1920's. A review in The Motion Picture Herald stated, "The subject is less complex than many of the recent Disney fabrications but wholly entertaining." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "Mickey's Rival: Mickey Mouse - We find that the bad characters often frighten our small children and they go out into the foyer until it is passed over. - Harland Rankin, Plaza Theatre, Tilbury, Ontario, Canada, General Patronage." The following is another exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "Mickey's Rival: Mickey Mouse—Played this the second time as it is one of the best of the Mickeys.— C. L. Niles, Niles Theatre, Anamosa, Iowa. General patronage." A review in The Motion Picture Daily stated, "Clever animation and fast-moving, but there have been better Mickey's. For instance, 'Alpine Climbers.'" The following is from a 1936 issue of The Film Daily, "United Artists' latest Walt Disney release, 'Mickey's Rival', introducing Mortimer Mouse, will open at the Radio City Music Hall with 'Swing Time' on Thursday, and at the Rivoii Theater with 'The Last of the Mohicans.'"

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for the Fleischer Screen Songs cartoon, Chinatown, My Chinatown (1929). The title song was written by William Jerome (lyrics) and Jean Schwartz (music). This team also wrote the songs My Irish Molly-O, Handle Me With Care, Over the Hills and Far Away, Meet Me in Rose Time, Rosie, Shooting the Bull Around the Bulletin Board and I'm Going Back Home and Have a Wonderful Time. Other songs Jean Schartz worked on include Tell That to the Marines and Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody, both hits for Al Jolson. Chinatown, My Chinatown was first published in 1910. A 1915 recording by the American Quartet with Billy Murray was the number one record in its day. Artists that recorded this song over the years include Fletcher Henderson, Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, and Lionel Hampton. The song is considered an early jazz standard.

Next comes the first Daffy Duck cartoon directed by Chuck Jones, Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939). Today many cartoon fans associate Chuck with being one of the main people who changed Daffy from his early high energy crazy self into a more vain, jealous and greedy character. This film however features Daffy in his early crazy high energy mode. A review in The Motion Picture Herald even stated, "The gags and situations are appropriately matched to the zany personality of the duck." Another review in The Motion Picture Daily stated, "Leon Schlesinger delivers good color cartoon work in this "Merrie Melody," but the striving for whimsy hits only in spots." The following is an exhibitors' review also from The Motion Picture Herald, "Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur: Merrie Melodies—Very few laughs in this one. Not up to standard of most cartoons in this series. Running time seven minutes. - Don Bloxham, Place Theatre, Exira, Iowa, General and rural patronage."

Now for Mutt and Jeff in Ups and Downs (1926). 

Now to close with a song. 

Thank you for joining me. Be sure to come back next week for more classic cartoons. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

Resources Used

Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by David Gerstein and J.B. Kaufman

Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Mickey%27s_Rival

https://mediahistoryproject.org/